BTW, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

[BravoXray]

Dad had planes from the time I was 6 or 7, starting with a 172 clear up to a Twin Bonanza, with several Bonanzas, Debonairs and Travel Airs in between. I had a lot of hours in the right seat, and did a lot of navigating and a few takeoffs and landings.
I bought a'63 C172D in '96 and started taking lessons. First landing with the instructor was a squeaker as were all the following landings, I just had a good feel for the plane and landings were easy for me. He soloed me with 6.1 hours in my logbook.
Sold the 172 in 2001 and bought a '60 Beech Debonair. Over 4 years I got it painted, installed all new panel and avionics with dual Garmin 430s and an auto pilot, and installed all new upholstery, and finally upgraded the power plant to an IO-520BB and 3 blade McCauley 406 prop. That made a hell of an airplane out of it, would cruise at 8-9000 feet at 160 kts on 12-13 gph.

 

[BravoXray]

The tomahawk was truly a scary plane. Never liked to look back thru cockpit glass at tail……while flying. Wasnt sure what kept it on.

I have a friend who flew a Tomahawk a few times, and he decided a more proper name was Traumahawk. He said Piper should have bought all them back and crushed them with a bulldozer.

 

[MossRoad]

I read something about the Tomahawk being designed so that people could easily put it into a spin to get instruction and practice on how to get out of a spin. I guess that was something the 152's could not do. Overall, the Tomahawk had a better safety record than the 152, but in just the category of spins, it had a way worse record. There's a lot of interesting reading in the subject.

 

[Jims1025R]

7500 hours in 80 general aviation types since 1976. It is both my hobby, and more now, how I pay for my real hobby - tractor, UTV and excavator! I look forward to the day when tractor, UTV and excavator are my primary hobby, and flying is a happy memory - not quite there yet...

Not to minimize the accomplishments of the passenger who landed, well done that, but the Cessna Caravan is a wonderfully tolerant and benign airplane to fly. If you have to "figure it out" that'd be the type to do it in.

The Piper Tomahawk did exactly what it says on the box, a great trainer. Not as forgiving as the Cessna 152, so you learned more flying them. They are a lot of fun to "throw around" during training, if that's the purpose of the flight. Cessnas generally fly very well, sometimes a little too well to be good training aircraft, they don't make you work for it so much! Owning a Tomahawk would not make me unhappy.

 

[PILOON]

As a former pilot I've flown 4000 hrs on some 30 types.

Crashed* once (engine failure) and 3 'precautionary' landings.
Once discovered reversed controls on a test flight and landed OK.

*Even the crash was well controlled in that glide and approach was letter perfect only the soil was so soft that the AC inverted after a 30 ft roll out. (AC was repaired and still flying 20 years later**)

Sure, clear air on a nice day and an autopilot to help with radio guidance it sure is possible.

Heck I practiced steering my plane by opening the pilots door and then the other for turns ,and for climbs and descents using only trim tabs.

** I DIY'd the repairs and earned my A&P tickets.

 

[BravoXray]

I always wanted to try a landing in a commercial jet simulator to see if I could do it.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[bigtiller]

No way would I ever do that.

 

[Jstpssng]

No way would I ever do that.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[ruffdog]

It makes me miss the days of ultralight flying!